Germany vs Romania: Under-21 EURO background, form guide, previous meetings

Group A concludes with a rematch of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final from two years ago as Germany take on Romania at Budapest's Bozsik Stadion.

• The teams are level on four points at the top of the section, two ahead of the Netherlands with co-hosts Hungary eliminated having lost both games. Germany were 3-0 winners against Hungary in their opening fixture before a 1-1 draw against the Dutch, Lukas Nmecha earning a point with an 84th-minute equaliser.

• Romania, meanwhile, were held 1-1 by the Netherlands in their first game before coming from behind to beat Hungary 2-1, Alexandru Pașcanu scoring the decisive goal three minutes from time after Alexandru Măţan's 69th-minute equaliser.

• Germany are through if they avoid defeat against Romania or the Netherlands do not beat Hungary. They are confirmed as group winners with victory or any draw other than 0-0 or 1-1, if they draw with any score and the Netherlands fail to win, or if they draw 1-1 and the Netherlands win by a one or two-goal margin. If it ends 1-1 and Netherlands win 3-0, Germany and Netherlands are split for first place on disciplinary ranking then coefficient.
 
• Romania are through as group winners if they win. They will finish as runners-up with any draw other than 0-0 or 1-1, or if the Netherlands do not beat Slovenia. If Romania draw 1-1 and the Netherlands win 1-0, they will be split on disciplinary ranking then coefficient.

Previous meetings
• This is a repeat of the semi-final between the sides at U21 EURO 2019, Germany eventually running out 4-2 winners at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna. Nadiem Amiri gave Germany a 21st-minute lead and, though a George Pușcaș double (26 pen, 44) turned the match in Romania's favour before half-time, Luca Waldschmidt levelled from the spot six minutes into the second period. Waldschmidt struck again in the 90th minute, Amiri making sure of victory with his second goal and Germany's fourth four minutes into added time.

• In that game, Nmecha and Arne Maier came on as late substitutes for Germany with Markus Schubert an unused replacement; Romania's Pașcanu was sent off for two late yellow cards, with Andrei Ciobanu coming on as a second-half substitute and Radu Boboc remaining on the bench.

• Germany have won four and drawn one of the teams' five competitive U21 fixtures, the victories including an 8-0 qualifying success in Magdeburg on 9 September 2014 that remains Romania's biggest European U21 Championship defeat. Seven different players were on target for a Germany side coached by Horst Hrubesch, Jonas Hofmann scoring twice against Viorel Moldovan's Romania.

• The game in Giurgiu on 19 November 2013 had ended 2-2, Claudiu Bumba and Romario Benzar on target for the home side and Philipp Hofmann and Antonio Rüdiger replying for Germany. That was one of only two qualifying fixtures Germany failed to win as they finished first in the section to reach the play-offs, where they beat Ukraine; runners-up Romania were eliminated.

• Germany put five goals past Romania in their qualifying group for the 2007 finals, Patrick Helmes scoring twice and Mario Gomez, Gonzalo Castro and Aaron Hunt once each in a 5-1 win. Germany progressed to the play-offs, where they were beaten by England; Romania were eliminated.

• Romania's first finals appearance, on home soil in 1998, featured a 1-0 extra-time defeat against Germany in the classification play-off.

• While Romania have avoided defeat only once in competitive matches against Germany, they have drawn both friendlies – 0-0 in September 1998 and 1-1 in February 2000. They were beaten 6-2 by West Germany in June 1980, with Pierre Littbarski (2) and Rudi Völler on the scoresheet.

Form guide
Germany
• Champions in 2009 and 2017, Germany were runners-up to Spain in the 2019 final in Italy, going down 2-1 in Udine having finished first in Group B ahead of Denmark, Austria and Serbia before beating Romania 4-2 in the semi-finals.

• This is the ninth time Germany have qualified for an eight or 12-team final tournament. Aside from their two titles, they were semi-finalists in 2015 and quarter-finalists in 1998. They also reached the last eight in 1990, 1992 and 1996.

• As West Germany, they were runners-up to England in 1982.

• Germany have reached the semi-finals or better in each of the last three U21 EUROs, and have progressed from the group stage in four of their last five finals appearances. They are unbeaten in five group stage matches (W3 D2) and have lost only one of their last 12 (W7 D4).

• Stefan Kuntz – who has been in charge since August 2016, leading the team to that 2017 European triumph – oversaw a 2021 qualifying campaign in which Germany finished five points ahead of runners-up Belgium in Group 9 despite losing home (2-3) and away (1-4) against them. Germany won their other six matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wales and Moldova, including the last three.

Romania
• This is Romania's third appearance at the U21 EURO finals, and the first time they have qualified for successive tournaments.

• In 2019, a team coached by Mirel Rădoi qualified unbeaten (W7 D3) and then finished first in Group C at the final tournament, winning the section ahead of France – with whom they finished level on seven points – England and Croatia.

• The subsequent loss to Germany in the semi-finals was Romania's first competitive defeat in 14 games (W9 D4), since a 2-0 qualifying loss in Bulgaria in October 2016.

• The 2019 tournament was Romania's first finals appearance since they lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 1998 tournament, which Romania hosted. They lost all three games at those 1998 finals, subsequently going down to Germany and Russia (1-2) to finish in eighth place.

• This time round, Adrian Mutu – who replaced Rădoi in January 2020 – guided Romania to the finals as the fifth best second-placed side overall, his team having finished as runners-up to Denmark in Group 8 (W6 D2 L2). Romania collected 20 points to end six behind the Danes but four ahead of third-placed Ukraine.

Links and trivia
• Germany's senior side were 1-0 winners against Romania on 28 March, Serge Gnabry scoring the only goal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the National Arena Bucharest.

• Mutu was a 73rd-minute substitute in a 1-1 draw against Germany in the UEFA EURO 2000 group stage, his competitive debut for Romania.

• Mutu played 90 minutes in the most recent senior meeting between the teams before 2021, a 3-1 Germany win in a Cologne friendly on 12 September 2007.